Normal West, known for its various traditions, looks to build the school community and to strive to continue making West best.
Spanning over 30 years and operating under four different principals, Normal West is still thriving.
Because of a once-overpopulated high school in the growing town of Normal, there was a need for an additional high school.
Normal West opened in 1995 with Dr. Jerry Crabtree, the first Normal West principal, overseeing that everything ran smoothly.
When the building first opened, it was known to be state-of-the-art.
Although 30 years have passed, many would still argue that Normal West is still state-of-the-art, but not necessarily because of the building–more because of the people that are here.
In fact, building a sense of community in a school the size of Normal West is important.
The current principal, Dr. Angie Codron, who is enjoying her 19th year at West and second as principal, is making sure that her students also understand the importance of community.
When she first came to West, she was inspired by West’s mission statement (Engage in Learning, Accomplish Goals, Build Relationships, and Develop Citizenship).
“From the day I walked in here [Normal West], I’m like if these people do this [referring to the mission statement], then this is the place that I want to be, and then I never left because this is what we do here,” Codron notes.
“Where Everyone Succeeds Together” is another phrase often seen through the halls of West as it serves as motivation for students and teachers to strive for success.
These mottos, sayings, and statements are not the only things that unites West’s community, though; there are also other ways students and staff find ways to connect and help others.
“I just really think it’s the first place that I’ve ever been that had their mission statement displayed and lived it out not only with each other as staff but like watching our students live this out and how we treat each other here,” Codron boasts of West.
And how “we” treat each other here at West can best be seen through the multitude of traditions that are celebrated year in and year out.
A few examples include the infamous senior bricks, the metal W featured in the class hallways, and the popular spirit stick.
Perhaps one of the most popular traditions, though, is one that Dr. Codron recently brought back from one of her predecessors, Dr. Jerry Crabtree, the original principal of West.
In an attempt to build school spirit and pride, Crabtree would walk around with $50 in his pocket. If a student or staff member could sing the “Normal West Fight Song,” he would award them $50.
And although the school song tradition has lived through the 30 years, other traditions have changed and evolved into what they are today.
The infamous senior brick tradition is the perfect example of this. If you’ve walked through West, you’ve definitely noticed the colorful artwork lining the hallways.
Although today these bricks stay up year-to-year, that is actually not always how it was.
“It used to be that seniors would paint the senior bricks, and then at the end of the year they’d paint over the wall (…) and the next year the next group would do it all over again. [However as years went on, more Seniors wanted] to keep them, and that was when the tradition [was] born,” Codron explains.
Dr. John Bierbaum, current social studies department chair as well as alum of Normal West is one who sees the true value in these traditions that have held West together through all thirty years.
“So the museum or archive at our school, that’s one of the key things that you know you tried to collect, recognize, [and] celebrate school stories. So all these traditions some people know the story, and some people don’t, and it’s just kind of lost: senior bricks are a good example,” Bierbaum notes.
As Normal West is celebrating its 30th birthday this year, the plans for maintaining these traditions as well as bringing in the new ones remains the same.
In fact, a committee, consisting of “the originals,” (the ones that have worked at West since it opened–Tony Berardi, Kristy Fairfield, and Steve Price), as well as other administration and alumni, has been planning a fun-filled year of celebration–starting with this homecoming week.
One big celebration is that they will share original time capsule items on social media, sharing the significance and history that makes each item special to West.
Another celebration builds off of a Normal West tradition of taking an aerial photo above the football field with each class forming a letter making the word “West.” After having a 5, 10, and 20 year photo, plans for a 30-year photo are in the works.
In addition, this week the 1995 Elite 8 volleyball team will be returning to West to be honored for their historic run to state. They will also be selling/wearing vintage shirts from 1995.
Along with volleyball, the 1995 and 1996 football teams will also be coming back to be honored.
Lastly, Codron has big plans to have students repaint the original murals in each of West’s staircases to represent West as it stands today.
The biggest goal through all of these events and celebrations is to connect the old West to today and to celebrate 30 years of Wildcat pride.
“I hope in 30 years from now you can kind of see those connections to the people around West and maintain traditions so that you know things we’ve done now have really paid off,” Bierbaum states.
And while we celebrate the traditions and successes in the past, it’s also really important to think of goals for the future.
One thing to look forward to in West’s future is various improvements to the building.
“[We are] working on some [renovations] of our common areas. So you may have seen that some of the lockers were removed upstairs in the balcony, they’re also talking about a reboot of our Atrium area as well,” Codron shares.
All of these improvements are possible due to a Beyond the Box Grant that a group of teachers received last year.
These renovations are extra special as West students and staff from multiple departments will collaborate to bring the vision to life.
While physical changes/improvements are often good, Codron hopes, “that the care that is exhibited at Normal West High School [stays]. (…) [I hope] that the human component always stays a priority here for the next 30 years.”